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Monday, March 22, 2010

I wanted a café con leche and i wanted to take some pictures so I combined the two and took a seat outside Jeanna's Courthouse Deli and watched the show across Whitehead Street at the southernmost bar.The Green Parrot is a block from the end of Highway One so that at least makes it pretty far south and Jenna's was sold so is now known only as Courthouse Deli, but the benches are still there on the sidewalk and it's the shady side of the street, so for a man on his way to work on St Patrick's day it was a good spot to wield a camera.The Green Parrot has a reputation so it attracts tourists, and their scooters. In the background here you can see the Honda and Kawasaki dealer on Southard Street. I used to have a Honda scooter and would never waste my time there again. You'd get your Social Security check waiting on Victor for parts. I wish he would retire and let someone dynamic take over the concession:"Ooh," my neighbor on the bench squeaked. "They're riding in striped pajamas!" She speculated they must be working somewhere, and I retorted "One of three jobs probably." Which the good tourist found more amusing than I meant my remark to sound.Most motorcycles in Key West are V twins and men like to stand around and talk their usual nonsense around them.A cyclist stopped at a traffic signal. Will wonders never cease!Some people prefer not to drive themselves.

White legs and a rental cycle, the white rental plate on the basket gives that away. A visitor I'm guessing.

I've never quite understood the Harley fairing that is all fiberglass and heavy on the handlebars but doesn't have a windshield for rider protection. I guess it makes a good place to park a radio. You know he just wants one. There it is, the release from responsibility. And this flash of thigh upholding the Triumph motorcycling tradition, heaven help us.

"Oh my Gosh," my bench neighbor from Wisconsin bellowed, "he's wearing a kilt!" She sounded like the Sheriff in the movie Fargo. When I remarked on the similarity she smiled and said they are from the same neck of the woods and everyone talks that way. I don't I wanted to say but the point would have been lost. After a short discussion with her husband about whether or not they wanted to get shit faced on Duval Street she got up and they pottered off up Southard Street.

This looks a bit like an MZ motard. When East German MZ still existed it had quite a following in Key West, home to many Eastern European transplants who remembered MZ as the best motorcycle manufacturer behind the Iron Curtain, in the bad old days.

And here, tucked modestly almost out of sight we see the bad V twin of them all, Yamaha's Virago still offered in 250 and 535cc versions. A nice classic motorcycle for those that can appreciate a long lived small package.

Not forgetting that other classic in green (not the babe), my new Bonneville:36,500 miles and not one failure to startand go, so far. A classic motorcycle for the busy daily rider. Unless of course you need to fit in with the crowd and ride a V twin. With tachometer.

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"Taxes Aren't Theft" is the title of today's essay at my wordy blog found here:

Key West Diary

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